The silence after Azazel's departure was almost as unsettling as the battle itself. The oppressive atmosphere of Blackwood Asylum hadn't lifted; if anything, it felt heavier, as if the demon's presence had left a lingering stain on the very fabric of the building. Clara and Damien stood in the echoing hall, catching their breath, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away, leaving them with a bone-deep weariness.
"What was that thing?" Clara asked, her voice still trembling slightly. "I mean, I've seen ghosts, apparitions, poltergeists… but that was something else entirely."
"That," Damien said, his voice grim, "was Azazel. A fallen angel, a demon of considerable power. And he's taken an interest in Blackwood."
"A fallen angel?" Clara repeated, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Seriously? Angels and demons? That's a bit much, even for me."
"Believe it or not, Clara," Damien said, "there's a lot more to this world than what your science can explain."
Clara bristled at that. "My science has explained a lot," she retorted. "I've dedicated my life to understanding the paranormal, to finding rational explanations for seemingly irrational phenomena."
"And how do you explain Azazel?" Damien challenged.
Clara hesitated. "I… I don't know," she admitted. "But I'm not ruling out the possibility of a scientific explanation. Maybe it was some kind of… energy manifestation, a psychic projection fueled by the negative emotions of the asylum."
Damien sighed. "You can try to rationalize it all you want, Clara, but you know what you saw. That was a demon, plain and simple. And he's not going to just disappear because you don't believe in him."
Clara knew Damien was right. She couldn't deny what she had witnessed. But the idea of angels and demons, of a cosmic battle between good and evil, was just too much for her to accept. She needed more information, more evidence, something to help her make sense of it all.
"Okay," she said, "let's say, for the sake of argument, that it was a demon. What do we know about him? What does he want with Blackwood?"
"Azazel is a master of corruption," Damien explained. "He delights in twisting the pure, in turning good into evil. He's been around for millennia, sowing chaos and discord wherever he goes."
"And Blackwood?" Clara pressed.
"Blackwood is… unholy ground," Damien said, his voice low. "The suffering that occurred here, the pain and despair, it's created a tear in the fabric of reality, a doorway that allows Azazel to enter our world more easily."
"So, what do we do?" Clara asked. "How do we stop him?"
"We need to learn more about him," Damien said. "His weaknesses, his motivations, his plans. And we need to find a way to close that doorway, to seal Blackwood off from his influence."
"Where do we even start?" Clara asked, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.
"We need to learn more about him," Damien said. "His weaknesses, his motivations, his plans. And we need to find a way to close that doorway, to seal Blackwood off from his influence."
"Where do we even start?" Clara asked, feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.
"I know someone who might be able to help," Damien said. "A historian, a scholar of ancient lore. He's dedicated his life to studying demons and the occult. If anyone knows about Azazel, it's him."
"Who is he?" Clara asked.
"His name is Professor Armitage," Damien said. "And he's our best chance at stopping Azazel."